C/o Kancharapalem Movie Review

Four love stories of four different age-groups set amid a suburb in Visakhapatnam come alive in one film where the perspectives of religion, gender, relationships change over time. Kancharapalem is heartwarmingly simple, ordinary and most importantly identifiable. It’s rare for a film to do a commentary on religion, stature, age and love while never stating the obvious, C/O Kancharapalem shows more than it tells and you want to pick up a piece of the place as you leave the film.

Sundaram and Sunitha are in their pre-teens, where their liking for each other translates into underlining the word ‘Sun’ in their names. Another instance of showcasing honesty in love between a wine-shop boy and a prostitute too isn’t quite conventional- the former accepts her enough to give her a condom, also proposing to her with a wine bottle in his hand, of the girl’s favourite brand. The 20s something Joseph-Bhargavi’s thread delves into religious acceptance, Gaddam-Saleema’s part is about moving on from a dark past. Raju-Radha’s segment is about living life as you please and putting conventions to dust.

C/o Kancharapalem takes its own sweet time to establish its characters and the backdrop. One of the better aspects that emerge out of the film is the anti-stereotyping of a region, given the story is shaped by the storyteller’s deep understanding of a region’s roots which regular cinema doesn’t often put much effort into. It’s also a blessing that the film is hitting theatres when Telugu cinema is ushering in a new wave. Let these voices raise! Don’t miss it.